Category: Sports

Mumbai: FanCode, India’s sports destination, signed a two-year  exclusive broadcast deal with Volleyball World, to give volleyball fans access to over 2000 matches from the Volleyball World portfolio. Volleyball World is a new partnership between the FIVB and the CVC Capital Partners aimed at driving growth, innovation, and investment in volleyball around the globe. Fans will now be able to live-stream the action exclusively on FanCode’s mobile app (Android, iOS), TV app available on Android TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Jio STB, Samsung TV, and www.fancode.com.  

The marquee events to be streamed include the 2023 Beach Volleyball World Championships, Volleyball Nations League 2023 and 2024, and the Olympic Qualification Tournaments in 2023. These highly prestigious events are widely regarded as top-tier competitions in the sport of volleyball, featuring a lineup of elite players and drawing in viewership from all around the world. 

The first tournament to go live on FanCode is the Beach Pro Tour during its stop in Uberlandia, Brazil, scheduled between 26 to 30 April. The Beach Pro Tour is also set to  make its first-ever trip to India with a new event in Goa from 19 & 22 October. The event is part of a multi-year agreement that brings the tour to the stunning sands of Miramar Beach in Panaji, Goa’s capital city. FanCode will be live-streaming all the action for the  viewers to enjoy. 

Speaking of the partnership, FanCode co-founder Prasana Krishnan said, “This  partnership will enable us to provide more value to our growing user base by offering access  to a diverse lineup of sports. Volleyball is becoming a popular sport in India and fans can  now watch marquee volleyball events from around the globe on FanCode.”  

Volleyball World head of media Felix von Knorring added, “We’re delighted to be  partnering with FanCode to bring the best of volleyball to Indian fans. The country has a rich  history of the sport and it’s been on an upswing recently. With our collaboration, we are  confident about growing the sport in the country, building a dedicated fan base, and supporting professional volleyball talent.”

According to an Ormax Media report, India is home to 56 million volleyball players and it  is amongst the top 10 most popular sports in the country. Globally, volleyball is the fourth  most popular sport in the world. 

Mumbai: Star Sports, the home of cricket and the official television broadcaster of TATA IPL 2023, has signed Rishabh Pant as its latest ‘Believe Ambassador’.  Star Sports is focussed on building the sport by associating with the next generation of cricketing icons and with the inclusion of Rishabh Pant, the broadcaster now has a strong panel of current cricketers as its ‘Believe Ambassadors’ including Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, KL Rahul, and Shreyas Iyer. 

Star Sports has expanded its roster of talent from two ambassadors in 2017 to six now with Virat Kohli continuing his association with India’s most loved destination for sports. The broadcaster will continue to create iconic campaigns with Kohli and co-develop new properties such as Indian Sports Honours, which leverage the cricketer’s popularity towards the cause of sport.

The ‘Believe Ambassadors’ represent different parts of the country as well as different IPL Teams. Star Sports will work closely with the cricketers to develop new campaigns and properties to grow the popularity of the sport and drive fandom, especially amongst youngsters. 

Ace Indian Cricketer Rishabh Pant said, “I’m happy to announce that I am joining Star Sports as its ‘Believe Ambassador’. The association allows me to grow the popularity of the game, especially amongst youngsters. Cricket has the power to bring joy, enrich lives and teach youngsters the right life lessons. A young boy from Roorkee had the belief that he would represent and earn laurels for his country. Through my association with Star Sports, I would like to inspire young Indians to believe that no matter where you come from, you can achieve your dreams through hard work. Just Believe!”

Disney Star head-sports Sanjog Gupta said, “We are thrilled to have Rishabh Pant join us as a ‘Believe Ambassador’. As a young, dynamic player with tremendous potential, Rishabh embodies the spirit of the game, our brand values, and is a great addition to our expanding roster of cricketing heroes. We see each of these associations as an investment in the future of the sport. We always select Cricketers based on their potential to be ‘icons’ as well as proponents of the ‘Believe’ philosophy. Our aim is to build a diverse group of ‘Believe ambassadors’ who can inspire the next generation of cricket fans and players across the country.”

Disney Star’s commitment to providing a holistic viewing experience that goes beyond just the match has earned it the trust and loyalty of its viewers. The Network broke all viewership records across IPL seasons with 36.9 crore viewers tuning in to the Live broadcast of the first 19 matches. The broadcaster has also clocked an astounding 11350 crore (113.5 billion) minutes* of watch time and seen a growth of 25 per cent in match TVR in comparison to the last edition.

Mumbai: Sony Sports Network, India’s sports broadcaster, won big with six Gold and three Silver awards at the Promax India Regional Awards 2023. The third edition of the awards witnessed a staggering 24 wins by Sony Pictures Networks India out of which the sports broadcaster took nine awards home.

The platform, which recognizes the best avenues of regional entertainment, awarded Sony Sports Network with the Gold across six categories – Best Brand Image, Best Ident, Best Sports Promo, Best Entertainment Promo (above 60sec), Best Launch Campaign, and Best Copywriting. The broadcaster also received Silver across three categories – Best Promo Dubbed, Best Directing (above 60sec) and Best Promo Team.

The WWE film featuring South Superstar Karthi, alongside Drew McIntyre collected the maximum accolades for Sony Sports Network. The films for sports properties such as Non-Stop Cricket on Sony Sports Network and Roland Garros also proved their mettle at the regional entertainment awards.

Links of the winning campaign films:

WWE ft. Karthi | 100 per cent Pure Sports Entertainment on Sony Sports Network:

French Open 2022 | Clay That Slays:

Non-Stop Cricket ft. Pankaj Tripathi & Smriti Mandhana | Sony Sports Network:

Mumbai: India captain Rohit Sharma has been announced as JioCinema’s brand ambassador. One of the modern era greats, Hitman Rohit Sharma holds numerous world records as captain and player, will now open a new inning to build on JioCinema’s vision of making sports viewing synonymous with digital.

“JioCinema is leading the way in transforming how sports is consumed in India across mobile phones and connected TV. The remarkable range of choices it provides fans is truly empowering. I am very pleased to associate with JioCinema and be part of this journey as it enables the shift to the digital platform and offers a higher degree of flexibility, accessibility, interactivity, and personalization to cricket fans,” said Rohit Sharma.

Rohit will work closely with the team at JioCinema, collaborating on a shared vision that is focused on making sports viewing synonymous with digital through a series of initiatives. He will take JioCinema’s digital-first proposition for all premium sports properties nationwide, expanding the fan base.

“Rohit Sharma embodies the spirit of sportsmanship, and unmatched leadership, representing the values that fans and players alike hold dear,” said Viacom18 Sports CEO Anil Jayaraj. “Our presentation of sports and the ongoing TATA IPL have a synergy in Rohit’s ability to connect with fans, and this partnership is a natural extension to our quest in leading India on a path that represents an exciting future.”

JioCinema’s free streaming of the TATA IPL 2023 for all viewers in India has resulted in a record-breaking number of views in the first two weeks – over 550 Cr. With a peak concurrency of over 2.4 Cr., JioCinema recorded the highest peak concurrency in a TATA IPL match when Chennai Super Kings met Royal Challengers Bangalore on 17 April. JioCinema breached the record for the second time in five days as they first set a new record of 2.2 Cr. peak concurrency when CSK met Rajasthan Royals on 12 April.

JioCinema announced 23 sponsors for its 2023 TATA IPL streaming. The number of sponsors and advertisers signed up by JioCinema this season is significantly higher than any event on digital streaming in India.

Mumbai: Star Sports, the official television broadcaster of the TATA IPL 2023, has announced collaboration with Prime Video for Citadel by the Executive Producers Russo Brothers, featuring global icon Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Golden Globe Nominee Richard Madden. The two stars will be present on Star Sports show ‘Cricket Live’ to promote their upcoming global original series Citadel – an action-packed spy thriller. The conversation between the lead cast of Citadel and Star Sports talent Irfan Pathan and Tom Moody promises to be a unique, unmissable experience for viewers. Fans across India can watch the special segment in the lead-up to TATA IPL 2023 matches on 21, 22, and 23 April 2023 and can catch the ground-breaking global series, Citadel, exclusively on Prime Video on 28 April 2023. The segment also reveals how surprised Priyanka Chopra is to find out the market value of Virat Kohli in the first IPL auction. “Virat Kohli was picked up by RCB for just 30,000 USD in 2008. Is that true?  I don’t think that could be true.” mentioned Priyanka. To know more watch the entire segment on Star Sports Cricket Live

To provide fans with a glimpse into this exciting collaboration, Star Sports has released a thrilling behind-the-scenes video featuring lead cast Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Richard Madden along with Star Sports talent. The BTS highlighted ‘The Grand Citadel Challenge’ and will surely intrigue viewers to watch the entire segment, as the series is set to premiere in just a few days.

 

 

 

 

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Glamour in Star Sports’ studio touches new highs!
The incredible @priyankachopra is here, hosting the Grand Citadel Challenge!
Will @IrfanPathan & @TomMoodyCricket ace the challenge?
Join the on #CricketLIVE from April 21-23 | Star Sports Network#BetterTogether #IPLOnStar pic.twitter.com/zxu1FfH6eM

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) April 20, 2023

Mumbai: Disney Star, the official television broadcaster of TATA IPL 2023, has broken all viewership records for the first 19 matches of the marquee tournament. As per BARC, 36.9 crore viewers tuned in to Disney Star’s Live broadcast of the first 19 matches, which happens to be the highest ever in IPL history even after considering the two editions of IPL played during Covid. The broadcaster has also clocked an astounding 11350 crore (113.5 billion) minutes of watch time for the Live broadcast of the first 19 matches. Disney Star has demonstrated its commitment to delivering an uninterrupted and seamless viewing experience with its fan-first approach, creating a compelling, engaging, and interactive product. The broadcaster has also seen a growth of 25 per cent  in match TVR in comparison to the last edition, for the Live broadcast of the first 19 matches, fuelled by engagement levels touching new highs. This massive growth is a testament to the success of the marketing campaign, the standard of broadcast on Disney Star Network, and a huge reaffirmation of TV’s incomparable capacity to aggregate audiences.

Disney Star head sports Sanjog Gupta said, “It has been a record-breaking start to Tata IPL 2023 on Disney Star eclipsing all previous benchmarks for viewership of the first 19 matches. Close matches and scintillating individual performances combined with the power of Star Sports’ #BetterTogether campaign and world-class storytelling capabilities have ensured that viewership for IPL 2023 in just 19 matches is within touching distance of the viewership registered by the full season last year. We are seeing record viewership in multiple audience cohorts across age groups, gender, and SECs, which is indicative of Television being the most preferred destination for family/community viewing of marquee sporting events. We are thankful to fans for the outpouring of love and support for Disney Star’s coverage of IPL. We will strive to continue elevating the viewing experience.”

Disney Star’s commitment to providing a holistic viewing experience that goes beyond just the match has earned it the trust and loyalty of its viewers. With over nine different language feeds to cater to audiences across the country, the broadcaster’s potpourri of initiatives, including region-specific pre-match analysis, post-match discussions, fan polls, and interactive segments with renowned cricket experts have helped them successfully tap into the pulse of the nation and strike a chord with viewers and fans across the country.

With on-ground experiences like the IPL Trophy Tour, the Fan Bus, #MySocietyStadium, and The Incredible School Quiz (India’s largest-ever school quiz), the broadcaster has left no stone unturned to appeal to the sentiments of its viewers and fans. Moreover, Disney Star’s association with some of the biggest celebrities in the country has further enhanced its appeal to a wider range of audiences. With celebrity associations including Ranveer Singh, Salman Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Pooja Hegde, and Nandamuri Balakrishna, the broadcaster has pushed the envelope to attract a more diverse audience to the mix.

In addition to this, Star Sports has associated with some of the cricketers like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, and KL Rahul to bring fans stories beyond the game through a special programming initiative, ‘Stars on Star’. Furthermore, exclusive partnerships with Rajasthan Royals, KKR, LSG, and PBSK have allowed fans to experience the league from the players’ and teams’ perspectives, providing fans with behind-the-scenes access, interviews with players and coaches, and other exciting content that has helped increase the overall engagement for the league.

Disney Star’s fan-centric approach and innovations in broadcasting technology have earned it the plaudits of fans and the broadcaster is focused on providing an unmatched and compelling viewing experience to all who tune in to watch the TATA IPL 2023 on television.

Mumbai: Star Sports, the official TV broadcasters of the TATA IPL 2023, has launched a brand-new initiative – The IPL School Quiz, which is set to grab the attention of kids across the length and breadth of the country. India’s sports broadcaster has been at the helm of taking fan centricity to a whole new level with the IPL School Quiz and aims to provide young fans with the most immersive experience possible for the TATA IPL 2023. With over 6,500 schools participating in the quiz in just the first week of the IPL, the initiative is gaining immense popularity already. This Quiz is testing the students’ knowledge about their favourite league and giving them the chance to become the first ever IPL School Quiz Champions. The online leg of the quiz has been underway from 22 March, will culminate on 30 April, 2023, followed by the Zonal and National leg from the 7 to 15 of May, 2023.

To participate, students would need to log on to StarSportsQ.com every day, answer five quiz questions, and watch the TATA IPL coverage on Star Sports to answer a sixth bonus question. Schools with the highest participation and average score across the online leg will qualify for the Zonal finals. The Zonal finals will feature the top five teams from all four zones competing in an online round and the four winners of the Zonal round will then compete in the National finale.

The eight National finalists of the IPL School Quiz shall earn an array of exciting prizes, including an opportunity to feature on an IPL Pre-show and travel to the Mumbai Star Sports studios for the National finale, which will be aired LIVE on 19 May 2023. The IPL School Quiz is a great opportunity for students to showcase their knowledge about the league they’ve been in love with for 15 years, and win amazing prizes, all while having fun and enjoying the excitement of the IPL. Using refreshed technology, Star Sports has also onboarded Shreyas Iyer to send personalised invites to all schools to increase the anticipation and excitement around the quiz.

Speaking about the IPL School Quiz, a Star Sports Spokesperson said, “We have always strived to create an unparalleled experience for our viewers and fans, and the IPL School Quiz is yet another step towards our fan-centric approach. The quiz is a fantastic platform for young minds to engage with the TATA IPL 2023 and showcase their knowledge, while having fun with their peers. We are thrilled to provide this opportunity to students across the nation and look forward to seeing the participants put their best foot forward in the biggest cricket school quiz.”

The TATA IPL 2023 has set off to a flyer with viewership on the Star Sports Network for the opening day of the marquee tournament recording a massive 29 per cent growth in TVR as compared to the previous edition. With endeavors like the school quiz, Star Sports is changing the way young fans engage with the sport and bring them closer to the game.

Mumbai:  At a time when club football is entering its decisive end-of-season period – championships are won and lost, finals are conquered and player´s careers are forged into history – adidas raises the temperature, proudly unveiling the Heatspawn Pack, the latest iteration of its boot range featuring bold and exciting new colorways across its key franchises.

Crafted for top class performance, the hottest adidas football pack fires up the style with a bold and incandescent, orange-based color.

Predator boasts a striking combination of team orange and black, X Speedportal displays a mix of stunning solar gold, black and team orange and Copa sports an elegant blend of team orange and off-white details, all three coming together to ignite world pitches with elite accuracy, outstanding speed and flawless touch at the time when it matters the most.

The new pack is set to be worn by some of the brightest talents on the planet on the field of play, including Pedri, Jude Bellingham, Alessia Russo, Trinity Rodman, Rafael Leão, Mary Fowler, Leo Messi, Catarina Macário, Mo Salah, Declan Rice, Serge Gnabry, João Felix, Paulo Dybala, Gabriel Jesus, Florian Wirtz, among several others.

The Heatspawn Pack continues to feature all of the key traits fans love across each boot franchise.

For those with a ‘miss nothing’ obsession, Predator Accuracy provides all the tools for the perfect strike, having ultimate control of ball spin and placement, with comfort and a soft touch on the ball.

X Speedportal is made for players with more than just electrifying speed at their disposal, connecting those quick feet with quick thinking, with outsole designed for unreal acceleration combined with a stud design engineered to offer supreme traction.

Copa is built for the football purists at heart. Made with quilted, seamless leather for a cushioned and flawless touch – allowing each player to show their class on and off the pitch.

Featuring all new colourways and packing the latest in adidas innovation technology, the adidas Heatspawn pack is available to purchase online.

Adidas

Mumbai: SBI Life Insurance, one of India’s private life insurance companies in India and Rajasthan Royals the cricketing franchise from the state of Rajasthan, inaugurated an enormously larger-than-life ‘helmet’ installation at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, the franchise’s home ground in Jaipur. The helmet installation, measuring an impressive 15 feet in height and 18 feet in width, prominently placed right at the entrance of the stadium is a visual treat for the visiting cricket fans and also the larger populace around the city. With its grand scale and unique design, the objective for the ‘helmet’ installation is to spread awareness about the importance of protection and how it acts as an enabler for individuals to pursue their dreams. capture the attention of citizens to encourage them to make life safety a priority and wear helmets while riding. 

The inauguration was done by SBI Life Insurance chief of brand, corporate communication & CSR Ravindra Sharma and Rajasthan Royals CEO Jake Lush McCrum in presence of Rajasthan Royals Fast Bowling Coach Separamadu Lasith Malinga, Rajasthan Royals Assistant Coach & head of academy Siddharth Lahiri ; Rajasthan Royals fielding coach Dishant Yagnik, and other dignitaries. 

SBI Life’s alliance with Rajasthan Royals franchise as a lead helmet partner in 2023, leverages the immense admiration of cricket in India to emphasise on the role of protection played by helmet on ground, similar to that of insurance in life, both of which essentially act as enablers for individuals to pursue their dreams. Helmet being one of the most visible assets in cricket offers an extraordinary opportunity for SBI Life to symbolically emphasise on the important role of insurance as an enabler in life, especially to the cricket fans across the country. 

Speaking at the unveiling of the helmet installation, Sharma said, “In today’s era of quick commerce, brands need to increasingly find ways to be part of conversations that the consumer engages in their day to day lives. As the cricket frenzy grips the nation, we at SBI Life are exploring innovative ways to engage the larger populace with meaningful conversation around the importance of protection as an enabler for individuals to pursue their dreams. The larger-than-life helmet installation prominently placed at the entrance of Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, is a definite conversation starter and will help seed the thought of protection among the growing cricketing fanbase, by associating it with their favourite sport. In our endeavour to spread insurance awareness we shall continue to undertake a host of such initiatives and we hope that it inspires fans across our cricket crazy nation to think about the importance of protection.”

McCrum commented, “We always explore different ways through which we can activate our partners and engage our supporters along with the community at large. This installation is a part of the larger campaign of creating awareness about the importance of protection through insurance, and we believe that given the footfall we are going to see at our home of Sawai Mansingh Stadium, we will be able to create a really strong impact.”

According to records of the State Transport Department, every year approximately 4000 people lose their lives in accidents in Rajasthan for not wearing helmets. Another recent report of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways states that a total of 46,563 people who were not wearing helmets have lost their lives in road accidents in 2021 across the country. The installation is part of a public awareness campaign to emphasise on the role of “protection as an enabler” for individuals to pursue their dreams.

Mumbai: The accessibility of the Internet has been the biggest turning point for humankind. The easy access to high-speed internet connectivity with the availability of good quality camera phones has led the world to the concept of live streaming. The sports industry is one such industry that has hugely benefited from this development. The sports sector has, in a short span of time, gone through significant changes in terms of adapting to this new age technology.  Sports industry isn’t what it was a decade ago or even a few years ago. Digitization has replaced traditional means with modern ways to bring about a change in the world of sports. Broadcasting local-level matches has brought in a complete change in dynamics within the sports sector, giving better exposure to emerging athletes and opening up a horizon of opportunities for them.

However, sports digitization isn’t only restricted to sports broadcasting, sports digitization is a bigger umbrella and broadcasting is a small part of it. It truly is the amalgamation of all aspects of sports with technology. From live broadcasting of sports to player data tracking and maintenance to something like a “decision review facility” that is being adapted by associations across the world to ensure fair play and an unbiased decision-making process by the referees and the umpires, all these things come under sports digitization. 

The number of sports-specific applications coming on various app stores is a proof of the fact that the perception of sports is changing, and if one goes to notice, the majority of these apps talk about hardcore statistics, player data, and match data, and the fans have started to grow a keen interest in analyzing the game from a data point of view. This has probably been a paradigm shift in the way sports go forward, and this has surely opened up a lot of opportunities for the players. The player data and performance tracking analysis have actually helped players understand their game, figure out a pattern in their behaviour on the field, and then work towards reducing their weak points.

The inclusion of IOT (Internet of Things) devices in sports has in fact also helped sports federations collect and store data. Various agencies have come up in the market to make sure that these devices, these facilities are affordable and accessible to pro tier organizations and players alike. From the outside, this may feel like a natural progression for a sports organization to switch to digital and use technology to maintain data, but an insider from the sports industry can vouch that this has led to a transformation in the selection process, giving opportunity to the real talent from probably the remotest parts of the country. The devices have provided extensive data that is essential for the sports teams to determine their performance patterns. This has made the process of analysis almost effortless and more rational and logical, without any preconceived notions or biases.

The inclusion of technology has brought a new pathway for emerging talents and has helped provide grassroots sports with a center stage along with the international leagues. And for those who are still in the process of understanding the functioning and importance of data tracking, sports digitization, in its simplest form of live streaming local matches to the audience on the internet, has also led to exponential opportunities. Today, the popularity of local leagues is much higher than that of professional leagues in tier 2 and tier 3 cities in India, and with such a huge popularity and loyal fan base, sports streaming is becoming a habit or a luxury that leagues at this level can afford. The live streaming of matches from such leagues has helped domestic players take their game to a global audience and, in some way, put their foot in the door for a higher, professional level of sport. The new and emerging talents are getting much-needed exposure to showcase their skills/talent.The barriers restricting these athletes from reaching their maximum potential are now being blurred and have almost vanished.

The evolution that sports in India are undergoing has led to many young  grassroots players making it to amateur leagues, which has substantially increased. It has benefited the athletes, the federations, and the viewers by continuing to improve and develop a sports culture within society. With such developments, the underdogs can continue to achieve their once far-fetched dreams. These changes at the core really makes one hopeful about Indians being able to set a standard at the global level. 

The author of this article is SportVot founder & CEO Sidhhant Agarwal.